Family business destroyed

Tuesday

Sep 10, 2013 at 12:01 AMSep 10, 2013 at 3:17 PM

STOCKTON - Two weeks ago, Affordable Fence & General Construction, a 38-year-old family-owned business, moved to a new location on North Union Street just east of downtown. Saturday night, their warehouse burned to the ground, taking hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of equipment, material and business records with it.

Joe Goldeen

STOCKTON - Two weeks ago, Affordable Fence & General Construction, a 38-year-old family-owned business, moved to a new location on North Union Street just east of downtown. Saturday night, their warehouse burned to the ground, taking hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of equipment, material and business records with it.

It was the site of the former Union Ice Co., and the spectacular blaze that lit up the evening sky attracted hundreds of onlookers from the neighborhood as firefighters from around the city worked to suppress the three-alarm inferno.

Monday afternoon, Stockton firefighters were still on the scene dousing hot spots as a forklift driver dumped large chunks of rubble, a utility crew tore up the street to remove an old gas line and others decided how to safely take down the charred tin walls that remained upright.

"We've come too far and worked too hard for this to stop us," said Affordable Fence co-owner Thomas Bell, 30. Bell and his partner, Bill Williams Sr., 79, who founded the company in 1975, vowed to keep the business going as best they can and keep their eight to 10 employees working.

"We're not going to let anybody go. We are extremely busy right now. We had 40 jobs on the board," said Bell, referring to the job board that was consumed by the fire. Luckily, office manager Kim Bingaman snapped a photo of the job board before Affordable Fence moved from its former Mariposa Road location.

As for estimates, job plans, computers and business files, those are all gone, Bell said. So is a 2005 truck, a 30-year-old Bobcat and a newer forklift.

"I had just bought 800 square feet of commercial grade tile flooring for the office. That's all gone," Williams said.

In all, Williams estimated Affordable Fence lost $250,000 in materials and equipment and quite possibly $250,000 in business.

While the company has insurance, Bell indicated all the losses might not be covered.

"If we get any hiccups, this could bankrupt us. If the insurance company plays hardball, I will have to get an attorney," Bell said.

The 425 N. Union St. warehouse, between East Lindsay and East Fremont streets, had been empty for some time and was regularly vandalized, according to Bell. He said there was even evidence that people had been squatting there when they purchased the site.

Fire investigators looking into a cause are considering two possible scenarios: workers doing remodeling up to 80 minutes before the fire was reported may have sparked something; or vagrants might have broken in and started it.

Before the worst of the rubble was removed Monday, police were expected to bring in cadaver dogs to search for human remains, a standard procedure on large building fires, Fire Department Battalion Chief Rick Stubstad said.

Shortly before 6 p.m. Monday, flames had reignited in the rubble and fire crews were called back to the scene.